NBA Chat With Yannis 3/30/12

1. Nülle

   Hey,

   I wondered what happened to Gonzagas Elias Harris. He once was deemed a 1st Rd. Pick and Germanys next hope after Dirk and right now, despite him being a senior he’s in nobodys mock drafts – will he be going undrafted?

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     Hey everyone, welcome to this week’s chat! I’m coming to you an hour early due to travel restraints. Let’s get to the questions.

     He’s an upperclassman now. There’s not the type of upside associated with him that there used to be. There are also positional concerns. He may go undrafted, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in the league at some point.

2. AJ

   What do you think the ceilings are for SGs Beal, J Lamb, Rivers, and Ross?

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     Lamb and Beal could be high-end starters, borderline All-Stars. Rivers, once he finds his position, could end up doing the same. He’s incredibly talented. Ross isn’t at the same level, but a nice prospect nonetheless.

3. George

   Yannis: Is Bynum a complete thug, punk, moron, or a combo of all those?

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     Every team in the league would put up with his antics. He’s good for 18 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks a night at center. In the grand scheme, this is a minor speed bump in what has been a pretty impressive maturation process for a guy who came out of high school.

4. Cain

   Chances that this offseason Pacers sign Mayo and trade Granger?

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     Less than 20%, in my opinion. I’m not sure if a deal good enough for Granger is going to come around. They could get a good piece or two, but they’re close to contending right now. The only way they should move Granger is if it puts them over the hump to hang with Miami and Chicago.

5. Seth

   2004 Draft 1st pick- Dwight Howard (Orlando), 2nd pick- Emeka Okafor (Charlotte).

   2005 Draft 4th Pick- Chris Paul (New Orleans), 5th Pick- Raymond Felton (Charlotte); ‘Cats later took Sean May (remember him?) at #13 over Danny Granger.

   2006 Draft 2nd pick- Lamarcus Aldridge (Chicago), 3rd pick- Adam Morrison (Charlotte).

   Question is this, if the Bobcats could have selected one spot earlier in each of those three drafts and say could have forseen Granger’s success, where would you place a Bobcats team with a starting five of Chris Paul, Gerald Henderson, Danny Granger, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Dwight Howard on the NBA totem pole? Ah, sad life of existence for a Bobcats fan. Bring back the Hornets!

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     Don’t be too sad about that. If you get one of those guys, you’re immediately better. Chances are they wouldn’t have been picking high enough to put together that starting five you’re dreaming of.

6. Philip

   Deron to Dallas? Heard he recently built a 5 million dollar home there.

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     Let me start this by saying it’s not uncommon for players to own homes in their hometown even if they play in a different state. With that said, I do think Dallas has a really good chance to get him. The match seems just about perfect. I think Mark Cuban deserves a ton of respect for making this a possibility a year after winning the championship. You can’t be content in this league, you always have to look to get better.

7. paprika

   Hi there yannis,do u think mitch kup deserves an A this year. Yea he got luke and kapono out which is awsome but we are not deep in the bench. With so lil games left im pretty sure we are ballin with this line up. No one cuts or attacks the rim much .sess,kobe barnes does it. Bynum is kinda like a kid at times . Its not like im an expert but even a regular joe would notice that lakers need more help on the bench.but im still happy with our gm.just wished he signed boykins or a dleague dunker for help.

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     I still can’t help but factor in Kupchak landing Chris Paul in December when evaluating him. Due to that, of course I think he’s done a great job. I don’t know if he’ll get Executive of the Year award, that will probably end up going to San Antonio. He’s done a fine job. I feel like he’s on the verge of being in the same class as Jerry West. His work in the post-Kobe era will get him there.

8. SenseiOfSoul -Chicago

   Hi Yannis. Love your chats. I definitely see some coaching changes shaking things up in the offseason. On that note, two coaches who I believe don’t belong in the NBA are Vinny Del Negro and Scott Skiles. And as a Bulls fan, I have witnessed their ineptitude close up for several years. Skiles is a great X’s and O’s guy but he is a terrible manager of personalities (particularly superstars)and his teams always tune him out eventually. Vinny just doesn’t know what to do with the talent he has. He is the Anti-Adelman. Give him Derrick Rose and he goes .500. Give him CP3 and Blake Griffin and he underperforms as well. And now the Clips are starting to tune him out too. My question to you is this: Why do organizations throw money at these guys? Why are they not head coaches at college programs or in the D-League where the players can’t afford to tune them out? In a league where coaches are usually the first to get fired and blamed, what front office person makes the conscious decision that Skiles or DelNegro will take their team to the next level?

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     Del Negro is a former player who is all about hard work. I can see how Donald Sterling, who didn’t have a contending team at the time and wasn’t looking to spend a lot of money, justified to himself giving him a second chance to see how he would do. See if he learned a lot from that first stint. Chicago became a pretty tough situation for VDN. I really like Scott Skiles. He hasn’t had much luck in Milwaukee with the injuries they’ve run into. He does have a reputation for wearing on guys, but that happens with good coaches too. There are better coaches than them on the free agent market right now, though. If I can upgrade significantly, I do it. By significantly, I’m thinking Jerry Sloan, Nate McMillan, Mike D’Antoni. Proven guys who will demand respect.

9. Sweet Dee

   If you were starting a team from scratch, rank your preference for your bigman: Marc Gasol, DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, and Al Horford.

   • Yannis Koutroupis

     Tough question! I’m going to do this without looking at numbers thoroughly for time’s sake. Al Horford, Marc Gasol, DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe.

10. calvinzero

    In the NCAA basketball history, can you cite to me who are the NBA no.1 over-all pick players that make their last championship crown in their collegiate career before they become pro?? Thanks Yannis

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Danny Manning was the last to do it in 1988. Hasn’t happened since.

11. Bill Wallace

    You and everybody else truly underrate Austin Rivers. To Say Bradley Beal could be the 2nd pick while Rivers could fall out of the lottery is a joke. Rivers and Beal are about the same size while Beal is stronger and Rivers is quicker. Rivers has Elite NBA Ready Ball handling skills, Quickness and shooting abilty and will be very hard to guard in the NBA.

    How is he Undersized? Last i checked 3 0f the 5 best shooting guards in the NBA are “undersized”. Eric Gordon, Monta Ellis and Dwyane Wade.

    Beal best trait his 3 point shooting yet Rivers shot a better percentage than he did. Beal has average handles and quicknes. Can he get his shot of at the next level?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      I believe that you can. Part of the reason that I have Rivers underrated right now is because I’m still unsure about what he does in the NBA. If he’s a scorer off the bench, is that necessarily worth a lottery pick? If he can be a starter, at point or shooting, then he’s worth one. Beal’s better all-around. And, to clarify, I had Beal going second based off of Washington’s need. I don’t think he’s the second-best player in this draft. That’s MKG.

12. Edward Lee

    Do you really, really, really seriously believe Jim Buss that the Lakers are the team to beat?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      No, but I wouldn’t expect him to tell me anything else. They can win it all. They have that kind of potential, but I’m not sure if they’ll peak when they need to.

13. Mike aldridge

    Why is John Wall an underrated Point Guard and Passer. John Wall averaged 8.4assits last year which is the best by any rookie in the last 15 years despite playing with Subpar talent. Playing with Nick Young and jordan crawford who shot the ball every time they touched it.

    No one talks about wall yet he averaged more assits than “pass first point guards” in CP3, Rondo, Nash, Ricky Rubio, Kyrie Irving, and Kidd and still managed 16.5 points which is better than any of them.

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      Guys have to shoot it when they touch it if he’s going to get the assist! And I’m not sure what you’re talking about, I hear about Wall all the time. He’s one of the best young point guards in the league. There are a lot, though, so it’s kinda easy to get lost in the shuffle.

14. Sean Lucas

    Is Tony Wroten the most underrated player in the draft? He has major game in the mold of Tyreke Evans with some shades of Rondo with his passing ability and i think he is worthy of being a lottery pick and is the best point guard in the draft.

    What made Evans the 4th pick in 2009 and Wroten not even in most peoples top 20 this year. What do you see his upside and potential being and what team would be the best fit for him.

    Lastly will he even enter the draft?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      He came on really strong late, whereas Wroten did not. They had a chance to get into the tournament with a few wins and did not. His missed free throws in the Pac-12 tourney were really damning of their NCAA hopes. Wroten is definitely going in the first round. This is just a deeper draft than Evans’.

15. Gery

    What did the Magic entice D12 with?The only realistic star-players they can get to help the team are guys with huge contracts such as AmareS and others.

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      I think it was the feeling of leaving Orlando that kept him there. He was setting himself up to be more hated than LeBron James. Now he’ll be able to save face a little bit.

16. rob mcjosherts

    The fact that Perry Jones didnt excel in NCAA doesnt mean he wont in NBA, look at Greg Monroe whos was said not to have the spark.The question is is he a PF or SF and whos need do you think he can fil the best?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      He doesn’t fit any immediate needs. He’s a project who is going to take some time. I think he’s a power forward. His lack of success at the collegiate level doesn’t mean he’s going to struggle as a pro too. He could become very good, one day that switch may flip.

17. Fandry Lee

    James HArden is the third best SG in the NBA right now I think, all of his stats are higher than Joe Johnsons. This dude is dishing out 2 assists more than last year. I say he is next Manu but Skyler said they have totaly different games, where do you think difference comes from?

    • Yannis Koutroupis

      There’s an argument to be made for that claim, for sure. I think what Steve is referring to is the uniqueness in Manu’s game. He’s got a trademark flare to it that we probably won’t ever see replicated. He’s also incredibly unpredictable. Now, there are similarities too. They’re both lefties who can create and score at a high rate.

      That’s going to do it for me this week folks! I’ll be back next week.